fivefeettall

If Only They Could Squeeze Caffeine

into a Spring Roll....

It's been noted that Thai restaurants have usurped Starbucks, appearing on every corner, the way the coffee chain did a decade ago.

And since it was about a year ago that I returned from my voyage to Thailand, I thought it might be time to sample what the locals have to offer right here in Grand Rapids.

Left: My with my palette of food at Just Khao Soy in Chang Mai, Thailand. Right: Little Jerry at the almighty coffee chain during my first breakfast in Bangkok.

So choosing five restaurants, I spent the last 6 weeks filling up on delicious curries. To be consistent in my comparison, I choose a veggie spring roll and a mild veggie curry with a coconut milk base at all locations. While I was never dissatisfied, there was one stand-out contestant.

Best Spring Roll
Little Bangkok (!!!)
Erb Thai
Rak Thai
Angel's Thai Café
Bangkok Taste

Best Curry Dish
Little Bangkok
Bangkok Taste
Erb Thai
Rak Thai
Angel's Thai Café

Best Setting
Little Bangkok
Bangkok Taste
Rak Thai
Angel's Thai Café
Erb Thai (perfect for take-out!)

Best Presentation
Rak Thai
Bangkok Taste
Little Bangkok
Angel's Thai Café
Erb Thai

All these restaurant experiences were wonderful and delicious, so I decided to follow-up this experiment with an instant at-home Pad Thai from Thai Kitchen. ...And it was AWFUL. It tasted salty, and the peanuts were stale and made the whole dish smell like moth balls.

So lesson learned! With a Thai café popping up on every block, opt for take-out!